Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Aberdeen, Mississippi

Robert Gordon established the town of Aberdeen on the west bank of the Tombigee River in 1837. After Aberdeen became the county seat in 1849, it experienced tremendous growth. Before the Civil War, Aberdeen was famous as the home of many wealthy merchants who shipped their goods by vessels going to Mobile, Alabama. Although the Jewish community of Aberdeen was always small, Jews in this small town in Northeast Mississippi were quite influential and civically involved.

Early settlers:

The Aberdeen Jewish community never formed a congregation or other Jewish organization, but they established several flourishing businesses. Over the years, Jews living in Aberdeen included the Haas, Weiler, Krauss, Stern, and Bergman families. Morris Gattman and his brother Jake found early success in the mercantile business, but, after the Civil War, they split and ran two competitive stores. Realizing the inefficiency of this arrangement, the brothers went into business together once again, opening a very successful bank. Their business pursuits became so well known that the town of Gattman, Mississippi is rumored to be named after them.Another important historical Aberdeen Jew was Major Sydney A. Jonas. He was a very well-respected Civil War soldier, the editor of the Aberdeen Examiner, and served in the Department of Agriculture. Additionally, Jonas was well known for his poetry composition. His Poem entitled, “The Confederate Note,” eloquently expressed the sentiments of the defeated South. Jonas’ accomplishments are commemorated by a memorial erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy on the Aberdeen Parkway.

Other settlers:

Other Jews opened stores as well. Bergman’s was the first to install a penny scale. Abe Rubel founded the Aberdeen dry goods store with his nephew, Julius Rubel, in 1890. A native of Germany, Rubel came to the country as a young man and settled first in Philadelphia. Jake Rubel moved to Aberdeen in 1913 and served in World War I. In 1928 Jake acquired ownership of Rubel Co., and operated the store until 1955, when he sold it to Melvin Silberstein. Silberstein changed the name to Silber’s. The Rubels were a long established family in Aberdeen. In 1939, several members of their extended family arrived in New York after fleeing Hitler’s rule in Germany. Despite limited English skills, their children, Ruth and Werner Rubel, quickly rose to the top of their class in the Aberdeen public schools. The presence of this new family in Aberdeen awakened the local citizens to the realities of the treacherous condition for Jews in Europe.

20th century history:

As the twentieth century progressed, Jewish businesses closed down, and descendants of Aberdeen moved away for opportunities in bigger cities, with one interesting exception. Patti and Kevin Heitzhaus moved to Aberdeen from the North in the early 1990s. Patti set up her own business making homemade ketubahs. She was affectionately known as the “ketubah lady.” They have since moved away. The history of Aberdeen would not be the same without the Jewish contributions, and the town owes many of its commercial successes to the hard work of Jewish individuals.

Family spotlight: The Lasky familyThe Lasky family was prominent in the economy of Aberdeen, serving as the primary vendor of women’s and children’s clothing. The store motto affirmed, “It’s not just another store – it’s an institution.” They were known for their handmade hats and corsets. The first store was owned by Julius Lasky, a cousin of the father of Bernard Lasky. He eventually sold the store to Bernard Lasky’s Russian father, Michael.Dorothy Lasky moved to Aberdeen after marrying Bernard Lasky. She became a prominent local citizen, who ran for mayor multiple times. For many years she was actively involved in the operation of Lasky's Clothing Store in Aberdeen and was a member of B'nai Israel Congregation. Dorothy dedicated much of her life to charitable work. Her daughter remembered her mother’s Christmastime commitment to bringing home children who had been referred by the Welfare Department. Dorothy always gave these children baths and gifts from the family store. Dorothy Lasky was also the founder of both the Aberdeen Medical Recruitment Committee and the Monroe County Sweeps Team. She was instrumental in organizing the merchant's association, now known as the Aberdeen Main Street Association. Bernard Lasky was a conscientious business and community leader. His clothing store was boycotted by Aberdeen whites because he was perceived as soft on segregation during the Civil Rights struggle. Both he and his wife participated in a group that worked with the FBI to break up a Ku Klux Klan terrorist cell that had targeted the state’s Jewish community.The Laskys worked diligently to retain their Jewish faith despite living in a predominantly Christian area. The whole family traveled to nearby Columbus, Mississippi for Shabbat Services and Sunday school. Though they did not keep kosher, the Laskys never had pork in their home. Bernard Lasky served as Temple president in Columbus several times. As they worked hard to maintain their religious identity, they maintained strong bonds with the non-Jewish members of their community.

Evans, William Augustus, Mother Monroe: A Series of Historical Sketches of Monroe County; Pioneer Times in Monroe County: From a Series of Letters Published in the Aberdeen Weekly 1877 and 1878; Who's Who in Monroe County Cemeteries. Hamilton, Miss.: Mother Monroe Pub. Co., 1979